JULY 31, 1909.
"WOODBUFFERS
SLIDING
COLLAR.
two-bladed tractor-screw, made of wood. Jutting out
above the main-frame, between the pilot's seat and the
engine, is a light triangular steel frame, which originally
carried a small fin, but has since been deprived of this
member. The frame itself remains, however, as it is used
in connection with the staying of the main wings.
The Main "Wings.
The main wings, which, as already explained, consist
of two single members which are independently detach-
able from the main framework, are each built up around
two trans-
verse wood
spars having
a solid
rectangular
section mea-
suring about
3 by f ins.
At frequent
intervals,
about 7 ins.
apart, these
two spars are
joined b y
curved ribs,
some of
which are
quite slender
pieces of
wood having
a square sec-
tion of only
about £ in.
square,whiie
others are
formed by
strips of
aluminium,
rein forced in
front by a
strip of
Sketch of the suspension on the Bleriot w°od. Themonoplane ** No. 11," showing the elastic
shock absorbers and the sliding collar.
ELASTIC
RINGED /
FORK
rib
tip, is aproximately two-thirds that of the main wings,
and the area is about one-fourth as great. The pivoted
tips are approximately square, and have an individual
area of abput one-fourth that of the full area of the tail.
The rudder, which is shaped in accordance with the
constructional requirements, has an area of approximately
4^ sq. ft. It is situated about 13 ft. behind the rear
edge of the main wings, and is pivoted about 18 ins.
behind the rear edge of the tail.
The construction of the tail is similar to that of the
main wings, except that the principal transverse spar
consists of a steel tube. The central portion of the tail,
which is rigid in flight, can be adjusted in respect to its
angle of incidence.
The Control.
The pilot of the Bleriot monoplane " No. 11" sits on
a low board raised but a few inches above the floor of
the main girder, and rests his back against a leather strap.
His feet are placed upon a pivoted cross-bar, by means
of which the rudder is operated, and vertically in front of
the pilot's seat is a lever for warping the wings and con-
main ri at
the inner
extremity of
each wing is entirely of wood, and has a built-up
channel section. The wings are double-surfaced with
Continental fabric, that is to say, the ribs and spars are
entirely enclosed top and bottom by this water-proof
material, and therefore present a perfectly smooth contour
on both faces. At the maximum point, the thickness of
the wings 's about 3^ ins., but the front edge and the
trailing edge are both sharp. Transversely the wings
form a straight line, but in fore and aft section they are
cambered in accordance with the usual practice, and the
maximum amount of camber is about 3^ ins. This point
occurs a little less than a third of the distance from the
leading edge. The extremities of the wings are rounded
off in a manner which is clearly indicated in our accom-
panying drawing.
Having a span of 28 ft. and a chord of 6 ft., the aspect
ratio is only 4*65 and the area 150 sq. ft.
\
• Supplementary Surfaces.
T ; supplementary surfaces on the Bleriot flyer
com ; of a monoplane tail having pivoted extremities,
and -udder. The overall span of the tail, including the
i I*- W 4SS
Sketch showing how the main wings of the Bleriot mono-plane "No. 11" are made detachable from the frame.
trolling the pivoted tips on the tail by means of wires.
This lever is mounted in a somewhat peculiar manner,
and has a curious inverted cup-shape fitting upon its
lower end, which forms the subject of a Bleriot patent
No. 21497 of 1908. It is manipulated with the left
hand, while the right is free to control the throttle and
ignition-levers, and also, as occasion requires, to operate
a rubber bulb of the scent-spray variety for the purpose
of increasing the pressure in the lubricating tank, as
the sight-feed fitting has, for convenience, been placed
somewhat above its lowest level.
Balancing is controlled by warping the main wings,
while the tips of the tail—which work together—perform
the usual functions of an elevator.
Constructive Detail.
First and foremost in the constructive details of f
machine comes the mounting of the main wings. Mer
has already been made of the fact that each wing is bv
about two main spar?, and it is these members wb
employed for the attachment. The front spar, •
the more important of the two, juts out from trr
of the wing for a matter of 12 ins. or so, r
into a socket formed by a hollow rectangi
aluminium, mounted rigidly on the main \
machine. When in place, the joint is se f
bolts. The other main spar projects on'
and is merely bolted to a simple alu
fastened at the side of the frame. »~:
X